The aim of this study
was to gather information on the use of stable isotopes to measure total body
water and body composition scan in children. We selected studies in the last
13 years, in addition to classical studies on the subject, indexed in the database
PubMed, LILACS, BVS and SciELO. The body composition was characterized by the
amount of bone tissue, muscle and adipose tissue, also including the organs as
well as levels of body water. Your knowledge becomes increasingly important in
light of the changes that occur in the nutritional status of various types of
diseases in frameworks, such as diabetes mellitus, protein energy malnutrition,
in cases of obesity and metabolic syndrome. The ability to accurately assess
body fat mass especially in children is associated with the importance of
effective strategies for prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
Historically, in addition to clinical applications, measurements of total
body water were used to determine body composition in nutritional studies. To
the knowledge of the body composition, the body water can be measured and used
by the ingestion of a dose of labeled water. The measured isotope enrichment
is a function of the amount of body water. The method of deuterium is
particularly interesting for the assessment of body composition in children,
due to its characteristics of collection and analysis.

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